River Club in Observatory will undergo R4 billion re-development over four years

The River Club in Observatory is set to undergo a R4 billion re-development over four years, that will include residential, retail and commercial components including a hotel, gym, shopping centre, offices, conference centre and schools. These components will take up about five hectares of the site, while the remaining 10 hectares will be landscaped and rehabilitated for recreational use including a park, walking and cycling paths and an amphitheatre. The developments are expected to take place in three phases, starting in June 2018 and to be completed by September 2021.

Residential units will consist of studio, one- and two-bedroom units with a maximum floor area of 77m2.

A 200-room hotel is being considered that will serve business and leisure travellers.

The City of Cape Town’s Two Rivers Urban Park (TRUP)(which contains the Black and Liesbeek rivers) is also being considered for mixed-use development.

While the sustainability of the site will only be assessed during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) phase, the draft scoping report does identify changes to surface water dynamics, freshwater features, the heritage and aesthetic value of the site, and increased traffic volumes, as possible negative environmental impacts.

A separate economic desirability study of the proposed development is being undertaken.

The public has until September 5 to submit comments on the draft scoping report.

The final scoping report will be released for another 30-day comment period before submission to the Department of Environmental Affairs. Once specialist studies have been completed, the results will be collated into an EIA report and Environmental Management Plan which will also be released for public comment.

Where will the water that is displaced by the raising of the land by 6m go? The displaced water has to go somewhere, will it not affect more properties further afield which are low lying and traditionally above the flood plain? If you place a rock in a pond the water level is raised. Water is powerful and flood waters do a lot of damage.

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